Democratic gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa picked up another wealthy supporter—Meg Whitman, a Republican billioinaire and former eBay and Hewlett-Packard CEO.
Whitman is supporting Villaraigosa to become the next governor of California. She believes that the former Los Angeles Mayor is the best candidate to improve the state’s economy and education system.
A person close to Whitman said, “From her perspective, Antonio’s better on the economy and education than Gavin [Newsom]. While she’s a Republican, she supports the candidate who she thinks is the best qualified for the position.”
On Thursday night, Whitman will co-host a fundraiser for Villaraigosa in Silicon Valley. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who contributed $7 million to Families and Teachers for Villaraigosa, will join Whitman at the fundraiser.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the tickets to the fundraiser cost from $1,000 to $25,000.
Another attempt to buy the election
Fabien Levy, a spokesman for state Treasurer John Chiang, another Democrat running for governor, criticized the former Los Angeles Mayor for accepting Whitman’s support. He described the fundraiser as “another attempt to buy this election.” He added that “Whitman is joining Antonio’s other billionaire buddies to spend millions to lose.”
